1 .TH Concept "Ship Types"
2 .NA Ship-types "Description of different types of ships."
4 Some of the ships currently available in Empire are:
7 torpedo-boat These ships have been misrepresented in Empire. They were
8 designed to kill large ships by swarming them and launching
9 torpedoes. In fact, they were projected to be so effective
10 that the French 'Jeune Ecole' (Young School) of naval officers
11 advocated abandoning battleships entirely, saying that they
12 would be helpless in the face of the torpedo-boat. In reality,
13 the torpedo boat was limited by it's short range, deficient
14 sea-keeping ability, and the battleship's quick acquisition of
15 numerous light quick-firing guns and machine guns. They were
16 effective when used in large numbers, but tended to die a lot.
18 destroyer These include three kinds of ships. First is the 1880-1910
19 destroyers, originally 'torpedo-boat destroyers', and meant to
20 be cheap ships to screen the battleships. Second is the
21 1910-1950 version, meant to kill submarines with sonar and
22 depth-charges. Lastly is the 1950-1965 destroyer, an all around
23 ship, with ASW and ASuW (anti-surface armament). After that,
24 they type mostly died out, as it had gotten too large.
26 frigate Originally, these were ships of about 200-400t, with a crew
27 of 200-500, armed with from 30-50 large cannon plus numerous
28 small cannon. They were intended to scout for ships of the
29 line, and protect/destroy commerce. After about 1860, the type
30 died out entirely, and was replaced by light cruisers. In the
31 1960's, the type was resurrected for a new class of ASW (anti
32 submarine warfare) ships of small-medium size.
34 light cruiser The class came into existence in the 1860-1905 period to provide
35 fast ships suitable for extended deployment in far-away places.
36 They were intended to out-class local defense boats, and not
37 much else. Much was sacrificed to give them long-term speed
38 end endurance. They were not intended to have a role in a major
41 heavy cruiser This class has a dual role. It was intended to reinforce the
42 light cruisers in the colonies, providing a heavier punch and
43 more armor, and also to be scouting elements in major fleet
49 battleship While the names change, the purpose remained the same: a ship
50 that brings heavy guns close to the enemy and destroys him. It
51 also was much used for off-shore bombardment, and for ships
52 of the line, minor invasions. (A complement of 300-400 marines
53 and 600 sailors allowed a ship of the line to land up to 750
54 fighting men at any desired point. Small squadrons of these
55 ships could (and did) take over towns, attack fortresses by
56 surprise, and generally make life miserable for the defense).
58 The pre-dreadnought was a battleship with a limited number
59 (usually 4) of heavy guns, numerous lighter guns ('secondary'
60 and 'tertiary' armament), and heavy armor on vital portions
61 of the ship. They were hard to kill, even for themselves, as
62 they had only a few guns that could penetrate the armor of
65 The dreadnought was introduced in an article in Jane's Fighting
66 Ships by an Italian designer, who received permission to publish
67 his design after the Italian government decided that it was
68 too large and expensive for them. The design/concept was seized
69 upon by First Sea Lord Jacky Fisher, who rushed completion of
70 the first ship, the Dreadnought, through in only 1 year. (An
71 amazing feat and a major record) The Dreadnought gave its
72 name to the entire type of ship, having 8-12 large calibre
73 guns, few secondary & tertiary weapons, and good armor. (As
74 can be guessed, the threat posed by torpedo boats had diminished
75 considerably, mostly with the quiet abandonment of the policy
76 of close blockade, and the advent of the destroyer)
78 The battleship of the 1918-1945 period was faster, and carried
79 a new AA capacity, especially in the latter years of the period.
81 After 1945, the class died out (except for 4 ships)
83 For our purposes, a battleship 1 is a ship of the line, a
84 battleship 2 is a pre-dreadnought, a battleship 3 is a
85 dreadnought, and a battleship 4 is what was called a battleship
86 or (sometimes) super-dreadnought.
88 battlecruiser These special ships existed in the 1905-1920 period, prior to
89 the widespread introduction of oil fuel. They had full battle-
90 ship guns, and a large speed advantage over the battleships,
91 but very little armor. They were initially the pet project of
92 First Sea Lord Jacky Fisher, who intended them to both kill
93 the heavy/armored cruisers of the time, and to scout for the
94 battleships. With their heavy armament (and name), their
95 function inevitably blurred, and they were used in combat
96 against full-fledged battleships, where they died like flies.
97 With this (and with the introduction of oil fuel, which made
98 battleships their equal in speed), they were phased out.
100 ASW cruiser These ships came into being in the 1965-present period in
101 response to a need for a large ASW ship to carry ASW helicopters
102 and command equipment. It typically carries full ASW armament,
103 as well as a minor ASuW capability.
107 missile cruiser These ships range in size from 100t missile boats (the modern
108 replacement for the torpedo-boat) to the 6000-8000t missile
109 cruiser. They all are designed to bring missiles to bear on
110 the enemy. (The first successful missile boats were Egyptian,
111 and used against the Israelis in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war)
113 The missile frigate and cruiser also serve as SAM ships.
115 landing craft These ships are relatively unique, being used mainly in the
116 1942-1950 period. Before that, landings were carried out by
117 frigates, ships-of-the-line, light & heavy cruisers, &
118 pre-dreadnoughts, all of which could land a large number of
119 men. With the introduction of the concept of beach-defense by
120 the Germans, these ships were invented to get large numbers of
121 men on the beaches quickly. After 1950, their functions were
122 largely assumed by the helicopter.
126 escort carrier These ships are designed for various purposes. At first,
127 carriers concentrated on scouting for the battleships. Later,
128 it was proved that airplanes could sink battleships (Thanks to
129 Billy Mitchell here), and the emphasis moved to all-around sea
130 control. Still later, with the disappearance of the battleship,
131 a large power-projection capacity was added.
133 Light carriers were simply smaller versions of the large or
134 'fleet' carriers, and were used for the same duties.
136 Escort carriers were usually hastily converted merchantmen,
137 and carried small numbers of fighters and ASW planes. (Some
138 merchantment, in fact, were equipped with 1 fighter and a
139 temporary catapult. When threatened by enemy planes, the
140 fighter took off. When it was done, it ditched, and the pilot
141 was (theoretically) picked up by the merchant ship's convoy.
142 This was used several times, and worked!)
144 submarine The submarine was originally intended, in the 1900-1910 period,
145 to fill the same role as the torpedo boat, using stealth to
146 get to the battleships instead of speed. It was a strictly
147 defensive weapon, without much speed or endurance.
149 In the 1910-1925 period, the sub was much enlarged, and use in
150 a combination anti-battleship (sank at least 20)/anti-commerce
151 role. Endurance was much improved, and the sub could now
152 operate a long distance from its home port.
154 In the 1925-1945 period, the sub steadily grew large and more
155 capable, gaining mostly in speed, sonar ability, and endurance.
157 After 1945, nuclear power vastly increased the subs endurance,
158 making it effectively infinite. Sonar was also vastly improved,
159 and removed the reliance upon the periscope. The subs armament
160 was also vastly improved with the addition of the SLM & SLBM.
162 minesweeper Usually converted fishing vessels, small, and expendable. They
163 found and destroyed mines with a variety of tricks, including
167 These units types differ in their fundamental
168 capabilities; some can fire guns, some cannot;
169 each has it's own specific abilities & roles.
170 The capabilities of each ship are given by the show command.
171 The headings are as follows. For the building data:
177 The lcm required to build the ship.
179 The hcm required to build the ship.
181 The avail (work) required to build the ship.
183 The minimum technology required to build the ship.
185 The cost of the ship.
188 The headings for the stats listing are
194 defensive armament of the ship
196 the distance/mu for moving (in relative units)
198 how visible the ship is, (relative units)
200 how far the ship can see, (i.e. how good the
201 communication equipment is), again in relative units
203 twice the distance the guns can fire,
204 The range formula is (rng/2) * ((tech + 50) / (tech + 200))
206 the number of guns the ship can fire at once
208 The number of land units the ship can carry. No ship can carry 'heavy'
209 units. Only surface supply ships can carry units that are not 'light'.
210 Submarines that can't normally carry
211 land units can carry up to two spies.
213 The number of 'light' planes the ship can carry.
215 The number of helicopters the ship can carry. (If the SHIPCHOPPER option is
218 The number of extra-light planes the ship can carry. (If the XLIGHT option is
222 Each ship can carry a certain amount of products and has certain
223 capabilities. These are listed under the cargoes & abilities section.
224 The cargoes give the number of each product that can be carried.
225 The abilities are as follows.
227 .EX show ship capabilities
229 .in \w'anti-missile\0\0'u
231 The vessel will accumulate food by fishing
233 The vessel can fire torpedoes.
235 The vessel can drop depth charges
237 The vessel can carry planes with the light attribute set.
239 The vessel can carry missiles.
241 The vessel can drill for oil
243 The vessel has sonar capabilities to detect submarines
245 The vessel can lay mines
247 The vessel can sweep the sector for mines and recover them
249 The vessel is a submarine
251 The vessel can be used as a landing craft. (see info assault)
253 The vessel can be used as a semi-landing craft. (see info assault)
255 The vessel can torpedo submarines
257 The vessel is a trade ship.
259 The vessel can supply other units.
260 Unless the vessel is a submarine, it can load non-light land units.
262 The vessel can navigate canals (see info \*QSector-types\*U).
264 The vessel will intercept enemy marine missiles (see \*Qinfo Hitchance\*U).
267 Some examples of the output:
272 fishing boat 1 25 15 12 0 $300
273 cargo ship 1 60 40 29 0 $500
274 ore ship 1 60 40 29 0 $500
275 slave ship 1 60 40 29 0 $500
276 passenger ship 1 60 40 29 0 $500
277 trade ship 1 200 100 81 0 $2500
278 frigate 30 30 19 0 $600
279 battleship 1 50 50 31 0 $800
286 def d s y g r l l n d
287 fishing boat 1 10 10 15 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
288 cargo ship 1 20 10 35 3 0 0 0 1 0 0
289 ore ship 1 20 10 35 3 0 0 0 1 0 0
290 slave ship 20 10 35 3 0 0 0 1 0 0
291 trade ship 1 20 10 35 3 0 0 0 1 0 0
292 frigate 50 25 25 3 1 1 0 1 0 2
297 cargos & capabilities
298 fishing boat 1 300c 10m 900f 15u fish
299 cargo ship 1 600c 50m 300s 50g 900f 1400l 900h 250u supply
300 ore ship 1 30c 5m 990i 990d 200f 45u 990r
301 slave ship 20c 80m 200f 1200u
302 trade ship 1 50c 50m 100f trade
303 frigate 60m 10s 2g 60f semi-land
304 battleship 1 120m 20s 4g 120f semi-land
305 fishing boat 2 300c 10m 900f 15u fish
308 .SA "coastwatch, fire, load, lookout, mine, navigate, tend, torpedo, fly, show, Trade-ships, Ships, Sector-types"
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